Father Madden's Sunday Reflection
Easter Sunday
St. John's Church
April 20, 2025
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Father Madden's
Sunday Reflection
Dear Friends in the Lord,
Only a week has passed since Palm Sunday when we heard these words proclaimed from the Gospel of Luke: “He saved others, let him save himself if he is the chosen one, the Christ of God.”
Imagine what it was like for the disciples who watched as Jesus suffered and died on the cross. Had they abandoned all hope as they watched the Messiah’s ignominious death on the cross?
In his letter to the Philippians, St. Paul writes “[Jesus] humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him.” As baptized Catholics our faith has taught us that the crucifixion is not the end of the story. Jesus rising from the dead on that Easter morning was the source of hope for the disciples– and is still our source of hope today.
When Pope Francis announced a Jubilee Year of Hope for 2025, he reminded us that “hope is born of love and based on the love springing from the pierced heart of Jesus upon the cross . . . Christian hope does not deceive or disappoint because it is grounded in the certainty that nothing and no one may ever separate us from God’s love.”
This Easter Season I invite you to reflect on the fact that we can only be saved by God’s love as revealed in the death and resurrection of his Son. We cannot save ourselves. Human history has demonstrated time and again that all the riches and power in the world will not raise someone from the dead to eternal life. Yet this is the promise of salvation which Christ won for us.
What will bring you happiness in life? If it is to be loved unconditionally despite all your faults and failings, then look to the Risen Christ today. If you are seeking a “hope that does not disappoint,” then accept the invitation from Pope Francis to be a pilgrim seeking true hope in the love of God which is so bountiful that he invites us to spend eternity with him.
Our Holy Father reminds us that “hope, together with faith and charity, make up the. . . theological virtues that express the heart of the Christian life.” May the hope found in the promise of eternal life bolster each of us to bear witness to Christian love, so that our faith may be joyful and our charity to others may be enthusiastic.
With prayerful best wishes for a joyous Easter and a life filled with hope, I remain
Imagine what it was like for the disciples who watched as Jesus suffered and died on the cross. Had they abandoned all hope as they watched the Messiah’s ignominious death on the cross?
In his letter to the Philippians, St. Paul writes “[Jesus] humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him.” As baptized Catholics our faith has taught us that the crucifixion is not the end of the story. Jesus rising from the dead on that Easter morning was the source of hope for the disciples– and is still our source of hope today.
When Pope Francis announced a Jubilee Year of Hope for 2025, he reminded us that “hope is born of love and based on the love springing from the pierced heart of Jesus upon the cross . . . Christian hope does not deceive or disappoint because it is grounded in the certainty that nothing and no one may ever separate us from God’s love.”
This Easter Season I invite you to reflect on the fact that we can only be saved by God’s love as revealed in the death and resurrection of his Son. We cannot save ourselves. Human history has demonstrated time and again that all the riches and power in the world will not raise someone from the dead to eternal life. Yet this is the promise of salvation which Christ won for us.
What will bring you happiness in life? If it is to be loved unconditionally despite all your faults and failings, then look to the Risen Christ today. If you are seeking a “hope that does not disappoint,” then accept the invitation from Pope Francis to be a pilgrim seeking true hope in the love of God which is so bountiful that he invites us to spend eternity with him.
Our Holy Father reminds us that “hope, together with faith and charity, make up the. . . theological virtues that express the heart of the Christian life.” May the hope found in the promise of eternal life bolster each of us to bear witness to Christian love, so that our faith may be joyful and our charity to others may be enthusiastic.
With prayerful best wishes for a joyous Easter and a life filled with hope, I remain
Sincerely yours in Christ
Most Reverend Robert J. McManus, STD
Bishop of Worcester
1st Reading: 42
Peter proceeded to speak and said:
“You know what has happened all over Judea,
beginning in Galilee after the baptism
that John preached,
how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth
with the Holy Spirit and power.
He went about doing good
and healing all those oppressed by the devil,
for God was with him.
We are witnesses of all that he did
both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem.
They put him to death by hanging him on a tree.
This man God raised on the third day and granted that he be visible,
not to all the people, but to us,
the witnesses chosen by God in advance,
who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.
He commissioned us to preach to the people
and testify that he is the one appointed by God
as judge of the living and the dead.
To him all the prophets bear witness,
that everyone who believes in him
will receive forgiveness of sins through his name.”
“You know what has happened all over Judea,
beginning in Galilee after the baptism
that John preached,
how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth
with the Holy Spirit and power.
He went about doing good
and healing all those oppressed by the devil,
for God was with him.
We are witnesses of all that he did
both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem.
They put him to death by hanging him on a tree.
This man God raised on the third day and granted that he be visible,
not to all the people, but to us,
the witnesses chosen by God in advance,
who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.
He commissioned us to preach to the people
and testify that he is the one appointed by God
as judge of the living and the dead.
To him all the prophets bear witness,
that everyone who believes in him
will receive forgiveness of sins through his name.”
Responsorial: Psalm
R. (24) This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his mercy endures forever.
Let the house of Israel say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
R. This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.
or:
R. Alleluia.
“The right hand of the LORD has struck with power;
the right hand of the LORD is exalted.
I shall not die, but live,
and declare the works of the LORD.”
R. This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The stone which the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
By the LORD has this been done;
it is wonderful in our eyes.
R. This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.
or:
R. Alleluia.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his mercy endures forever.
Let the house of Israel say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
R. This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.
or:
R. Alleluia.
“The right hand of the LORD has struck with power;
the right hand of the LORD is exalted.
I shall not die, but live,
and declare the works of the LORD.”
R. This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The stone which the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
By the LORD has this been done;
it is wonderful in our eyes.
R. This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.
or:
R. Alleluia.
2nd Reading: Colossians
Brothers and sisters:
If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above,
where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
Think of what is above, not of what is on earth.
For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ your life appears,
then you too will appear with him in glory.
If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above,
where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
Think of what is above, not of what is on earth.
For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ your life appears,
then you too will appear with him in glory.
Brothers and sisters:
Do you not know that a little yeast leavens all the dough?
Clear out the old yeast,
so that you may become a fresh batch of dough,
inasmuch as you are unleavened.
For our paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed.
Therefore, let us celebrate the feast,
not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness,
but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
Do you not know that a little yeast leavens all the dough?
Clear out the old yeast,
so that you may become a fresh batch of dough,
inasmuch as you are unleavened.
For our paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed.
Therefore, let us celebrate the feast,
not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness,
but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
Christians, to the Paschal Victim
Offer your thankful praises!
A Lamb the sheep redeems;
Christ, who only is sinless,
Reconciles sinners to the Father.
Death and life have contended in that combat stupendous:
The Prince of life, who died, reigns immortal.
Speak, Mary, declaring
What you saw, wayfaring.
“The tomb of Christ, who is living,
The glory of Jesus’ resurrection.
bright angels attesting,
The shroud and napkin resting.
Yes, Christ my hope is arisen.
to Galilee he goes before you.”
Christ indeed from death is risen, our new life obtaining.
Have mercy, victor King, ever reigning!
Amen. Alleluia.
Offer your thankful praises!
A Lamb the sheep redeems;
Christ, who only is sinless,
Reconciles sinners to the Father.
Death and life have contended in that combat stupendous:
The Prince of life, who died, reigns immortal.
Speak, Mary, declaring
What you saw, wayfaring.
“The tomb of Christ, who is living,
The glory of Jesus’ resurrection.
bright angels attesting,
The shroud and napkin resting.
Yes, Christ my hope is arisen.
to Galilee he goes before you.”
Christ indeed from death is risen, our new life obtaining.
Have mercy, victor King, ever reigning!
Amen. Alleluia.
Verse Before the Gospel
Christians, to the Paschal Victim
Offer your thankful praises!
A Lamb the sheep redeems.
Christ, who only is sinless,
Reconciles sinners to the Father.
Death and life have contended in that combat stupendous:
The prince of life, who died, reigns immortal.
Speak, Mary, declaring
What you saw, wayfaring.
“The tomb of Christ, who is living,
The glory of Jesus’ resurrection.
bright angels attesting,
The shroud and napkin resting.
Yes, Christ my hope arises.
to Galilee he goes before you.”
Christ indeed from death is risen, our new life obtaining.
Have mercy, victor King, ever reigning!
Amen. Alleluia.
Offer your thankful praises!
A Lamb the sheep redeems.
Christ, who only is sinless,
Reconciles sinners to the Father.
Death and life have contended in that combat stupendous:
The prince of life, who died, reigns immortal.
Speak, Mary, declaring
What you saw, wayfaring.
“The tomb of Christ, who is living,
The glory of Jesus’ resurrection.
bright angels attesting,
The shroud and napkin resting.
Yes, Christ my hope arises.
to Galilee he goes before you.”
Christ indeed from death is risen, our new life obtaining.
Have mercy, victor King, ever reigning!
Amen. Alleluia.
Gospel: John
On the first day of the week,
Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning,
while it was still dark,
and saw the stone removed from the tomb.
So, she ran and went to Simon Peter
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,
“They have taken the Lord from the tomb,
and we don’t know where they put him.”
So, Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb.
They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter
and arrived at the tomb first.
he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.
When Simon Peter arrived after him,
he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there,
and the cloth that had covered his head,
not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.
Then the other disciple also went in,
the one who had arrived at the tomb first,
and he saw and believed.
For they did not yet understand the Scripture
that he had to rise from the dead.
Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning,
while it was still dark,
and saw the stone removed from the tomb.
So, she ran and went to Simon Peter
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,
“They have taken the Lord from the tomb,
and we don’t know where they put him.”
So, Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb.
They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter
and arrived at the tomb first.
he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.
When Simon Peter arrived after him,
he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there,
and the cloth that had covered his head,
not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.
Then the other disciple also went in,
the one who had arrived at the tomb first,
and he saw and believed.
For they did not yet understand the Scripture
that he had to rise from the dead.
Prayer
St. John's Parish:
Prayer Needs & Intentions
Please remember the following needs and intentions in your prayers:
- special intention (George V)
- Prayers for Linda Rossi Adora Russell Zander Jessica Deric Tabitha Benoit My Health My Family My neighbors and the world 🌎 (C. Patricia S)
- For Tristan, Cam, and Heather (Kassandra R)
- Please pray for the intentions of Jeff Parson in my own personal intentions of health. Thank you, happy Easter. (Steve S)
- Please pray for Ronald and Betsy King (James K)
- For all those looking for peace in any form. For my father. RIP, 2nd anniversary. (Bronwyn T)
- My family's health and safety, my impending eye surgery and a special intention. Thank you (Anne L)
- Please pray for my daughter Bria Bates as she fights stage 4 breast and
liver cancer. Thank you (David W) - Please continue to pray for us, son Santiago as he recovers from a recent medical episode. Please pray for our daughter Isabella and her medical intentions. Please pray for our son Anthony Thomas and his work and health intentions. Please pray for Sandra and her work intentions. Please pray for our grandchildren, alexander and Elena, may they be safe and sound. Read More (Zandra V)
- Please pray for my brother David. He is lonely, sad, and unhealthy. Thank you! (Connie B)
- Improved health for Donna Theurer (Nancy D)
- Improved mental health for Steve G (Nancy D)
- Please pray for my family, Thank you. (Katie D)
- For peace and stability in our nation and the whole world (Rhonda F)
- Please continue praying for Henry. He goes into a week of intensive therapies next week. The Happy Henry is always smiling and an inspiration to all who see him. Thanks for your prayers (Brian M)
- Prayers for Adeline Stolberg (C. Patricia S)
- For forgiveness, reconciliation and peace within the family (Pamela J)
- For all those suffering from dep (Karen S)
- Kerri N Please pray for my family as we are going through many trials.
- Done ⌛️ (Jane Horuzek O)
- Please pray for all my Senior friends who are ailing. Thank you. (Barbara K)
- Praying for the repose of the souls of Marie Dubois and Carol Carmody. May their souls Rest in Peace. (Donna W)
- Praying for improved d health for Betty Y, Barbara L, Mary O, Sharon R, Cathy L, Kathleen K, Mary D, Bev L and Maryann/Bob H. (Donna W)
- That my daughter becomes less hostile and understanding of me (Joanne J)
To share a prayer request or intention in the Sunday Reflection, please click the REPLY button at the bottom of the Saturday morning Prayer Intentions email and post it in the comments.
Act of Spiritual Communion
by St. Alphonsus de Liguori
My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.
I love You above all things, and I desire to receive You into my soul.
Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You.
Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.
Our Common Prayer
O God, whose Only Begotten Son bore the weight of human suffering for our salvation, hear the prayers of your Church for all our brothers and sisters in need and deliver us from our trials. Open our ears and our hearts to the voice of your Son:
"Be not afraid, for I am with you always."
Bless all those working for the common good; give us the wisdom to do what is right and the faith to endure this hour,
that, trusting in your loving protection,
we might see the end of our struggles
and rejoice in your mercy.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel
by Pope Leo XIII
St. Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
defend us in battle.
Be our defense against
the wickedness and snares of the Devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,
and do thou,
and do thou,
O Prince of the heavenly hosts,
by the power of God,
by the power of God,
thrust into hell Satan,
and all the evil spirits,
who prowl about the world
seeking the ruin of souls.
and all the evil spirits,
who prowl about the world
seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen.
PRAYER PLEDGE
Join the team of St. John's parishioners pledging to pray daily
for the religious education and spiritual formation of our young people
In this challenging time our commitment to praying for our youth is more necessary than ever. Without prayer we cannot hope to transmit the riches of our Catholic faith to the next generation; join us as we lift our voices to God and ask for His blessing upon our efforts to teach our young people to become disciples of Christ.
We welcome you to pray a daily prayer of your own choosing, or to use the "Prayer for St. John's Religious Education" below. 👇
Prayer for St. John's Religious Education
Most gracious Lord, we ask your blessing upon the Religious Education program of our beloved parish of St. John’s. Please allow Your love and grace to flow freely and permeate the hearts and souls of our students and their families. Holy Spirit allow your gifts of Wisdom, Knowledge, and Piety to flourish in our Catechists as they pass on the teachings of Your Church to our students. Bless our volunteers for their generosity and loyalty which keeps our program operating properly. St. Joseph, intercede for our parents in this time so that they will recognize and accept their role as leaders of the Domestic Church.
We praise and honor you our Triune God, Father, Son and Spirit. Amen
St. Charles Borromeo, patron of catechists, pray for us.
St. Gemma Galgani, patron of students, pray for us.
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